pogovina

Ok, this is the short version...

Big D
Moving to MI
Published in both a 2009 calendar AND on a book cover, links to come
Not keeping up with my LJ, but not really stressing over it right now
Got some awesome stuff to submit, just gotta get a little time away from work and packing to do it

uhm... i know there's more but I can't think of it right now.

Thanks to everyone for your support and I hope to get back in the game soon!

Rita

I really do journal, I DO!! I just do it over on my LiveJournal account. There is so much fun stuff to read over there, please give it a look! If you have a lj account, feel free to add me as a friend!

pogovina.livejournal.com/

It's... ALIVE!!!!

Life is going along at it's steady pace- ups, downs and a lot of unpredictable sideways action. I've learned a lot this last few years and have begun to use it to my advantage this year. So far so good. My health has been rather consistent, still in remission and no new tumors. Yay! Go life!

Living with a teenager and a "not-quite-yet-a-teenager-but-I'll-act-like-I'm-21"er has proven to be a challenge. It seems like just yesterday that I myself was dying to have the clothes and boyfriends that all of my friends had, and yet today I give clothing and dating advice to my own daughters. (Step-daughters if you want to be technical about it, but who's being technical? Pfft! They're MINE! *Motherly snarl*)

Thankfully, I still have a shard of "Mommyhood" left in my younger 3 children, but my son (4) will be a true 'Big Boy' next fall and I will no longer have the joy of being a Stay-At-Home-Mom. Gives me those baby urges all over again. Thank goodness for tubal ligations, helps hubby say no easier, LOL!

Last summer, we had a devistating mishap involving 3 of the rabbits and fire ants. No need to go into details if you know anything about fire ants, horrible creatures. We've passed the remaining rabbits on to a good friend who owns a farm, they got too destructive to run in the house and I built them a large hutch but couldn't bear to see how depressed they were to be caged. Now they have a huge dog-run style setup and seem to be much happier. I miss them though.
I still have the mice, and somehow ended up suckering my poor husband into letting me even keep a couple wild mice that we found in our garage as blind deaf pups. Our domestic mouse had just had babies and was happy to take them on with her brood. Now the wild mice are more tame than the domesticated pet shop mice, go figure!

I had quite the hiatus from the internet in general this last year. My computer died and I didn't have the motivation to fight the kids over their shared computer in the living room. Now both kids rooms have computers but no internet in either (*fellow parents feel free to toss a little advice my way about pre-teens and their lovely curiosities for the wonders of the un-censored net) so the living room computer is still quite popular. I finally got mine running again, thanks to the wonder-hubby. Smart cookie, he is. I love it when he talks nerdy to me *giggle*.

Got a "new" car last spring. Killed it this winter. I'm a tad hard on cars, I've learned to drive aggressively like the rest of Houston. With the tax return, I'll have it up and going again, just a matter of time.

I'm picking back up in my artwork, I actually need to take a snapshot of the picture I just drew/colored for the hubster. It's cute, has Gir (Invader Zim) in both forms with a valentine-y message. I have yet to get my tablet hooked back up though... gotta find all of the drivers, it was such a pain to set it up before.

Of course, my biggest accomplishment since my last entry has to be my weight loss. I had gained an astounding 70 pounds since my hip surgery (imagine what sitting on your rump for 9 months then learning to walk again can do to your waistline)  I started working out and found a new physical therapist in Jan 05 and by Nov 05, I'd shed all 70 of those pounds! Just a warning, weightlifting and working out can be rather addictive! It is a great way of getting a break and little time-out from the family.

I'm glad to have regained contact with my online pals and have enjoyed finding some of my school-mates via myspace. It's been fun catching up with what they've done since graduation in '96.

I'm using a new email address and invite you all to send me an ocassional hello- togethertrue@hotmail.com

Rita

Seems like it was just last year that I was thinking about what presents to buy for whom, what cards to get and where to send them, and of course, untangling lights and getting them on the tree.

Christmas has been one of the few times in my life that I have tried despirately to hang on to traditions and make it as pleasurable for my children as it was for me.

The last few months have been trying and I have had problems with holding onto my sanity with some of the many things that have happened this year. Jobs, no jobs, robbery, injuries, fights with the ex, fights with the neighbors... all of it has taken a piece of me. I sit here at the end of a long year searching for an untouched shard of my humanity, hoping that there is still some innocence left. Some warmth. It's hard to have tragedy after tragedy and not feel cold and hardened by it all.

So is there some good that has come of this year? Thankfully yes. My children are all happy and well, even after a few scary incidences.
Their rabbit surprised us with being female, let alone a mother, but she has been a model mother and her baby is adorable to say the very least. If rabbits could be in love, I would certainly say that my rabbit (Gino) and their rabbit (Amelia) are definately in love. I've never seen rabbits act the way they do.
My health has been good this year, although I struggle with weight loss and fighting a potiential eating disorder. my depression has been managed, my surgery scars from a few years back continue to heal.
My husband and I continue on in a relationship that can be rocky at times but we are always working at it. That in itself, not giving up, is a blessing.
Emily and Laura- my stepchildren, will be staying with us next summer. I am overjoyed and look forward to this time with them without the additional stresses we have to deal with during the school year.

I hope everyone that is near and dear to me have a loving and wonderful christmas. That includes my friends here on DA.

Rita

Sorry I haven't been on in a while. It's been a veritable HELL at my house lately. All sorts of sh... you get the idea. Sometime soon I'll give a recap of the past few months, but right now I have a head cold and feel like my brain is about to explode.

Love and miss you all,
Rita